Everything You Need for an Ergonomic Office

There’s more to an ergonomic office than comfy chairs and wrist-friendly keyboards. Our mental health and stress levels are part of our cognitive ergonomic environment, too. Create a healthy work environment at home with ergonomic furniture and accessories that help reduce pain and increase focus.

According to Gallup, a poll taken in the fall of 2021 showed 45% of full-time employees working at home at least part of the time. Remote work sky-rocketed during the pandemic, but it’s not going anywhere soon. Employees are happy and productive at home. All that remote work is done online, which means our bodies take a toll physically if we don’t create a healthy environment. Sitting all day, looking down at screens, and holding our wrists at improper angles is sure to be felt at the end of the week. Let’s look at some ergonomic furniture and accessories you can add to your home office to make the workday pleasant.

An Ergonomic Desk Chair

Your office chair is your best friend during the day. It can also be your enemy if it’s the wrong one. Listen to your back and legs at the end of the day, and you’ll know if you’re using the right chair. There are some significant differences between a standard office chair and a proper ergonomic desk chair.

Desk chairs are usually relatively comfortable and allow for minor adjustments, such as moving up and down at different heights. However, an ergonomic desk chair allows for more significant adjustments, such as angles, heights, armrest placement, and lumbar support.

Check out these ergonomic office chairs for the best support as you sit and work.

A Comfortable Reading Chair

Sometimes while working away at our desk, we just want a change of scenery or a different way to sit. Even an ergonomic chair can lose its charm after several hours. When you need a break from the screen and want to make a switch to a good book for 15 minutes or just want a spot to cozy up with your faithful laptop, consider the addition of a reading chair in your office.

The Churchill Accent Chair with Ottoman is the perfect solution. It is offered in blue linen, black faux leather, and microfiber gray, and it brings a sophisticated flair to your office. The ottoman is a nice touch, allowing a good stretch of the legs while you type. It easily wipes clean and is a comfortable change of pace when the home office loses its thrill.

We can’t talk cozy reading chairs without mentioning laptop desks. A laptop desk gives you the freedom to enjoy your laptop on your lap (because no matter how we try, we can’t escape our laptops). Here are a few of our faves:

The Right Desk

There are a lot of choices for office desks, and it can get a little overwhelming. Our desk does more than give us a space to set up our computer, although that’s very important. Desks often signify the start and end of our workday. Sitting at a desk for too long leads to possible back problems down the road. Consider a standing desk that gives you options other than sitting.

While doing all of that standing, your feet may pay the price. Don’t sit back down. Just protect your feet. For some, that means their favorite pair of sneakers. For others, try a desk mat designed to comfort feet while standing in place for long periods.

Choose the Right Monitor or Laptop Stand

Keeping screens at the right level on a desk helps reduce neck strain and pain. We live in a world where we constantly look down at screens, either on laptops or phones. Working for hours isn’t healthy for our necks and shoulders.

If vanity is your concern, here’s another reason to stop looking down at your screen: lines on the neck. Yep, the generations who are glued to their screens may find their necks look old before their time from the constant bent position. Raising your laptop up to eye level, then using a wireless keyboard to type reduces the need to look down.

Another option is a separate monitor that connects with your laptop so you can type on the laptop keyboard while looking at an eye-level screen. It takes some getting used to if you’ve been glued to your laptop monitor for years. Still, after about a day of looking straight ahead at a larger monitor rather than down, you’ll wonder why you didn’t make the change sooner.

Another option is to use a wireless keyboard, prop up the laptop and enjoy multiple screens. For those of us with multiple tabs open throughout the day, multiple screens are a beneficial tool. Make some changes for the sake of your comfort and health. There are many things in today’s world of technology that we can’t avoid. Neck pain shouldn’t be one of them.

Proper Lighting

Sometimes the proper lighting is the last of our concerns when creating a healthy workspace. The thing is, lighting impacts our day and our work environment. It also affects our vision. Check out the lighting once your desk and computer space are set up. Is there a ceiling light creating glare or a desk lamp you’ve been using since college that doesn’t really inspire you? Spend time in your office and think about what works for you. Some people need a bright light to keep them going, while others may prefer a soft, warm light to destress. Below are some great office space lighting options.

Protect Your Wrist With an Ergonomic Mouse

An ergonomic mouse’s design allows your hand to rest on it in a way that places your wrist at a more comfortable angle. Our wrists can eventually develop a painful condition called carpal tunnel syndrome when using a mouse. When left untreated, it can potentially become impossible to type at all. For many remote workers, that puts their career in jeopardy.

If carpal tunnel syndrome is avoided, regular mouse users may still end up with a painful wrist and possibly have to wear wrist protection. The right mouse improves and limits the range of motion, giving your wrist a break. Choose an ergonomic mouse for a quick solution to wrist pain.

Change up the Keyboard

Just because your desktop or laptop came with a keyboard doesn’t mean it’s the right one for you.  Like the mouse, your wrists pay the price for a non-ergonomic keyboard, as do your fingers. Think about the angle your wrists and your fingers are at all day on a keyboard—it only makes sense that eventually, they’ll have enough.

Thanks to Bluetooth technology, it’s easy to connect a wireless keyboard to your PC, Mac, or desktop. It’s worth it to try out a few until you find the perfect keyboard. Everyone has their own needs for typing and wrist angle. To help you get started, we’ve rounded up the best keyboards for your home office.

Try a Little Background Noise

True, noise has nothing to do with the physical part of your workspace, but it has a lot to do with your cognitive and emotional well-being, so it’s essential to include it in a healthy, ergonomic office. Like lighting and other accessories, we’ve all got our own opinion of what’s best while working. Your extroverted coworker might need added noise, especially the sounds of people, to get inspired.

And you might think they’re nuts because you prefer a tribute to Simon & Garfunkel with the Sounds of Silence or maybe just the hum of some white noise. To each their own. Find your noise needs or lack thereof and include them in your office.